So distant, yet so close
by abdulstar1
Summary: Sometimes, it's better to forget about your past and look ahead. You could go insane if you remember all your sins. New OC's, this might be a bit sexual, and shipping galore. YAOI, but there are straight relationships.
1. Chapter 1

This story is meant to try to create some sort of set-up or rules since I'm not sure if there were any limitations to rules. I, also, meant to showcase some new OC's, in this story. Plus, whatever happens in this story does not have any literal connection to any backstories, or the main plot of Super Paper Mario. Please don't be confused by that.

But besides that, I hope you enjoy this one since I'm going to try a mixture of third-person, and sometimes first-person. This doesn't mean my other story is discontinued, but most of my next chapters might cause a bit of confusion, and I want people to have a general idea on what's going on.

I hope you enjoy this and have a good March Break!


	2. Awakening Manipulations

_Do you know that feeling? That feeling that you just know something is wrong, but you don't want to do anything about it. Sometimes, I wonder how things could be different. Could I be laughing? Crying? Smiling, but here I am. My blank face, emotionless and deformed as it's always been._

* * *

**?**

I feel the water and the sensation of being engulfed by it. Why do I feel so refreshed, yet still feel so tired? I get up and I'm trying to remember who I am or where I am. I don't know, why don't I remember.

"Huh?" He said when he saw a wooden chest, that looked like it was falling apart. He went to open it and found fresh clean clothes in it. There was a black long-sleeved shirt, grey pants, and brown boots. There was nothing else. "_Why am I here?" _He thought. He decided to examine his surroundings before he asked questions. The place where he woke up from was like a pod, except there was no water in it. It was white and round, but no other distinguishing features were present.

The room itself was lacking in decoration, but there was a brown door. He decided to open it and found himself in another room. This time, the room was still a dull gray, but there were paintings. Although, the pictures looked very grotesque, and the floor was just one straight floor of dust. He stepped on the floor, and he made a complete footprint. "_Well, this place is old."_ He thought.

He saw a huge door, and he rushed towards it and tried opening it. It was locked. "Oh no." He said, now a bit nervous. This was the only door in the room, and there weren't any windows. But, after examining the room a bit more, he saw another treasure chest, this time it looked well-kept. He opened it and saw a ball. He touched it, and saw a paper folded in half. He picked it up, opened it up, and it read: "Put ball right in front of your eyes."

Albeit skeptical, he saw no other option and did just that. All of a sudden the device opened up, and before he knew it, some sort of liquid went in his eyes. Groaning in discomfort, the liquid went into his eyes, and he suddenly saw things from a different perspective. He looked at the door and suddenly saw information appear in a blue square. Surprised, he decided to question it later and get out of there. He looked at the blue square, "Say, your name, or nickname, to leave."

"_Uh, oh." _He doesn't know his name. All of a sudden, he heard a voice, "Alb." "Huh?" He exclaimed. He looked around but didn't see anybody. Slowly, he went up to the door and said, "Alb." The door started opening, and he went to step out. "_Guess my new name is Alb."_ He thought.

_"I wonder where am I." _He thought. He stepped outside, and bright sunlight clouded his eyes. He had to close his eyes, wait a few seconds, then he opened them. Finally adjusting to the light, he looked around. All of a sudden, knowledge of the area around him entered his brain. Like, he knew that a village was nearby and they're hosting an annual play. "_Why do I know this?" _He thought. He assumed it was because of the liquid that went in his eye. Shrugging it off, he decides to head into the village, but before he went ahead, he shut the door he just exited from. He had a feeling it was a good idea to do so.

After walking a good 10 minutes, he reached the village and explored the town. There were no residents in sight, so he decided to explore. Already, he started receiving information about the village. The play was being hosted at the center and was set to start in 10 minutes. He, also, saw that Darkners and humans were going to be there.

His memory was very faint, but the name Darkner seemed familiar. He walked over to the center of the village to find a huge crowd. There were humans and Darkners, but they were divided with one side on the other. "_Strange, but I don't know anything yet." _After all, maybe it was just tradition. He decided to go stand over to the human side and saw an old darkner struggling to get through the crowd. Feeling pity, he went up to him and asked if he needed help. The Darkner looked surprised but nodded gratefully.

Lifting him up a bit higher for him to find his seat, he saw it. "Oh, thank you! I was worried I was going to be late." He said gratefully. Alb nodded but felt like he was observed and deduced that people noticed his service and thought strange of it. He didn't mind, but the old Darkner asked, "Where are you sitting?" Alb looked sheepish and replied, "I'm standing at the back, I don't think there's an extra seat." The old Darkner looked surprised and told him that if he wanted, he could sit with him. "Are you sure? I wouldn't want to trouble you." Alb asked, worried.

He smiled and said it was fine and invited him over. Thinking it would be rude not to sit with him, he did. The humans looked at him like he was crazy, and the other Darkners looked unsure about a human sitting with him. But, the play was starting and everybody soon directed their focus to the stage.

The play wasn't too interesting, but he liked the singing. He noticed there was a bit of improv in most of the scenes, so that wasn't good. But once the play ended, he thought they would get up and go home. It was sunset after all.

But an MC who directed the event, then proclaimed, "Ok! Let's start the embarrassing voice challenge." He had a smirk on his face. Everybody was smiling nervously, and Alb looked around cluelessly. Then, all of a sudden, the MC looked at him, and Alb looked at the MC. "_Why did I do that?" _He thought. "You! In the Darkner's crowd! What's your name!" He called out. Everybody turned to look at him, the old Darkner looked at him apologetically. "Urm, Alb." He said, in an unsure tone.

The MC then called out the guards, who directed him to the stage. "_Don't worry, you have the voice" _A voice reassured. Alb didn't know how to communicate, but he imagined saying the word, "Huh?" in his head. The MC then said, in the most teasing tone, "Audience, our friend here will sing a song in a feminine voice, but we'll be nice and he only needs to sing for 30 seconds." Then the MC rushed off, and the stage was enclosed in a glass cage.

"_Ok? What should I sing?" Alb_ asked. _"The Plague, sing the final part." _it thought. Alb nodded mentally and looked at the crowd. They had mixed reactions, the darkners looked sorry, some humans looked sorry as well, but most of them were smirking. Alb breathed and sang the part.

**You who I called sister**  
**How could you have come to hate me so?**  
**Is this what you wanted?**

Everybody was agape.

**(I send the swarm, I send the horde)**

The MC was surprised by the mysterious chorus.

**Then let my heart be hardened**  
**And never mind how high the cost may grow**  
**This will still be so:**  
**I will never let your people go**

Making them feel so surprised felt so good, it was nostalgic.

**Thus saith the Lord:**  
**I will not...**  
**Let your people go!**

He finished, the box enclosing him was gone. Walking to his seat, everybody was still in shock. All of a sudden, everybody was clapping, especially the Darkners. He blushed and went to sit down. "That was amazing." The old Darkner exclaimed, looking at him.

"Thank you!" Alb thanked. The MC walked up to the stage, and said, "Well, that's all, folks." Everybody got up, and now Alb was worried. Where would he go to sleep? The old Darkner noticed his worried expression and asked him what the problem was. "I don't have a home, I actually can't remember much besides my name." The elder saw this, thought for a moment, and said, "Well, you can stay at the spring cottage. Here' s the key." Alb was unsure. "Are you sure? I really don't want to bother you or cause any trouble."

He smiled, "It's fine, I'm staying at the castle. The cottage is over here." After getting directions from the elder, he thanked him and speed-walked out of there. Following his directions, he saw the cottage. It looked quaint, was surrounded by a lot of flowers, a pond was in the backyard, fruits were growing. There was almost no problem with this location. Opening the door, there was a kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, and living room. It looked like it hadn't been used in a while. He decided to clean it tomorrow and go to sleep.

_"I wonder why I was so calm during that performance, I guess I knew the song pretty well."_

* * *

Sorry. I've finally decided on a base idea. Thanks for reading!

Lyrics are from, "The Plague" in The Prince Of Egypt

Brother was changed to Sister

By, Ralph Fiennes, Amick Byram


	3. The First Perfection

_I walk without reason, I do things without reason. It's always the same reason. A good ending always comes at the expense of another. _

* * *

Alb was running, he didn't know why but he was in a dark corridor. "Hey! Anybody!" He called out. He heard footsteps and immediately tried running even more. A pair of eyes were behind him. "Don't try to remember, just forget."

Alb stood up in his head, as fast as the speed of light. "_Who was that?" _He thought. Before pondering more, he remembered how messy the cottage. _"I should probably just clean this cottage." _He thought. It was a dream, after all. Nothing to be concerned about.

"Ok! It's all done." He said, out loud. The whole place now looked shiny, and picture-perfect. The flowers outside will need tending though, so before he went out. "Huh." Alb noticed something weird about the painting. Walking towards the painting, he took it off and found a hidden closet.

_"Why is this here?"_ He questioned.

Opening it up, he found a book and a mirror. The book had a victorian-styled cover, with purple and white as its main color. There was a red ribbon, serving as the bookmark. Alb opened it, it was a photo-book.

There were pictures of a human and Darkner. The human was female, with white hair and a plain white dress. The darkner had a more elegant, yet casual style. He couldn't see his clothes, but his white cape and black bowler were the only distinguishing features. This was the only picture. _"Odd, they looked close."_ He remarked, in thought.

He put the book down and picked up the mirror. It was definitely from a Darkner, the black designs and use of red gemstones made it obvious. He looked at the mirror. His face reflected back at him. He had brown-white skin, brown eyes, and black hair. His ears were medium-sized, his eyes pointy, kind of like an Egyptian Pharoh, plus his nose was small. There wasn't anything out-of-the-ordinary with his face, besides his eyes. He heard a knock, quickly hiding all the hidden items, he put the painting back and opened the door.

The old Darkner was there and smiled. "Did you have a good sleep?" He asked.

"Oh, yes. I did, come in." He offered.

"I would love too, but I have to go back to the castle."

"Oh, ok!" Alb replied.

"My name is Eldolf, by the way."

"Alb! That's my name!" The old Darkner left. "_I should probably try to find work."_ He thought.

He decided to just wear the same clothes since he didn't have anything else. Putting on his boots, he left for the village.

Reaching the village, he felt the stares. Judgy, intrusive stares. "Isn't that the boy with a girl's voice?" "Ya, it is" "Didn't he sit with the Darkners" "Must be friendly with them."

Already gossip was being spread, he saw a sign for a piano competition. "_Ohhhh, your talent. Oh, and your welcome for the song."_

Alb did a double-take. "_How did you-"_

_"All I did was switch voices for that time." _The voice replied

Alb now realized he didn't know he was talking too. "_Who are you?"_

The voice was silent for a while, then said, "_Not_ telling."

"_Ok."_ Deciding to question the voice in his head later, he read the sign.

**Piano Competition**

**Play a waltz that has three variations of the same melody. You can perform a duet if you like. Winner will receive an invite as a "Guest" at the Celestial Dimension Conference. They will receive, travel accommodations, a seat in all events, and a hotel room in the conference hotel; The Dremian Remembra Hotel. Please head to the south of town, near the Tribe of Darkness's castle, if you wish to register. **

**Hosted by: Count Darkin Bluebell, Queen Melinda Puren, Prince Dreambert, and finally, former Count Eldolf Bluebell.**

"Oh?" He muttered, reading it once more.

_"What is it?" _The voice thought.

Alb cringed, he didn't know why, but he had a feeling he shouldn't tell the voice about who's hosting it. _"Nothing, it's a piano competition."_

"_Oh? Go to it, I think you'll like it." _The voice suggested

Alb didn't say anything, but he couldn't deny that he was a tiny bit curious about the piano competition. "_Ok, let's go." _Alb thought.

_"Cool, oh and you can call me, Mel, you know, just so that you don't have to be confused."_

_ "__Ok, Mel. What would I even play?"_

_ "How did you-"_

_ "You sound competitive, I assumed that you were going to ask me to _participate_."_ Mel stayed silent for a while, and said, _"Let's go already._

The south of town was, in summary, the most beautiful area in the village. Different types of flowers; Roses, Tulips, Poppy's, in different colors; Blue, red, yellow. There was a clear stream of river-water, so pure you could discern every single feature of your face if you looked at it. Green mountains were seen from afar. But there was a black castle in the distance, even so, it had its own charm.

It reminded Alb, of being scary on the outside, but having a whole new side in the inside.

"_Wow. So pretty."_ Mel said.

Alb was about to continue walking further when he sees the stage. It was very big, big enough for a whole orchestra to fit in. Surrounding it was a stadium, it had a white floor and two symbols. One was a picture of a black heart, while the other was a rainbow heart. They were interlined, as to symbolize, teamwork.

He saw the audition chamber and went in._ "Is that what you're wearing?" _Mel said, stopping Alb. He looked down and took a step back.

"_Here's a change of clothes," _Mel said, sounding mischevious and excited

Alb was then covered in white light and looked down. He was wearing some sort of collar, with a black vest. He had black pants on, with matching black shoes. He had lace going out of him, it was as white as an angel's wings. The outfit made him look like he was from royalty.

"_Well?"_ She said, excited.

Alb chuckled, albeit nervously. _"Maybe a bit less royal?"_

_"True, here." _White light shined again, the vest was still there, but the collar was more casual. Lace was gone too.

_"Better! Let's go see."_

**Prince Dreambert**

"Why did we ever think this was a good idea." Prince Dreambert put his arm in his face, after the break. All the performances were average and had mistakes almost everywhere. Whether it would be the wrong notes, an awful melody, or a lack of balance. The mistakes were always there.

"Should we stop? I don't think we're finding a good pianist, here." The queen said. She had a purple dress on, with purple high-heels. The dress had fancy designs on it, and at the top, had a diamond. Her hair was a neat chocolate brown, which flowed down her back like a waterfall. She had green eyes and a very pretty face.

The two Darkners listening sighed, "We can't unless we want to seem rude." The old darkner was Eldolf, while the other one was younger, though there was an obvious resemblance to Eldolf. The young Darkner had black hair and dark grey skin. He floated with his Tribe of Darkness attire, which was basically a vest with lace in it. Although, the cape looked more sinister with sharp edges at the bottom. He had yellow eyes and had a wicked mouth.

The prince sighed, standing up. His orange cape following forth. He had a pillow for a hat, black eyes wore a soft suit that had no sleeves.

All of a sudden, the door opened. "Your Majesties, there's one last performance to listen too." The royals nodded, thanked the guard, and all looked at each other.

"Let's just get this over with." Queen Melinda, said. They sat down preparing to listen to another bad performance. But, that wasn't what they heard.

**ALB**

"Ok, warm up and perform your waltz, when you're ready." The guard said, almost slurring as if he were drunk.

"_Is he?"_ Mel said.

_"No, he's just tired from the number of performances, and judging from his eyes, not-so-good performances," _Alb remarked.

Mel didn't say anything, but Alb was pretty sure that she nodded. They entered, and saw a black piano, with white notes. The room was plain, but there was a window that he saw, but couldn't see in.

_"Must be watching us," _Mel said. Alb ignored her comment and went to adjust the bench.

After that was done, he sat down. _"I know what I'm playing as the waltz, but it's typically done in a duet."_

_"Oh, ok. Here."_ A note in the brass area was struck. "Ok? I won't question it, but this is the waltz."

After telling the waltz's name and composer, Mel got excited. "_I can do low brass, do the treble area then."_ Alb gave a nod, and after checking everything was in tune, started to play.

**Prince Dreambert**

Seems this performer knows to check before you play. And, after sitting there for a while, started to play. The beginning of a piece is always the most important, it's like a hook to the audience. "What's he playing?" The queen inquired. "It's a warmup piece, he also is doing a duet with a spirit?" The young count said. Eldolf was just in awe, this was the same human who performed on-stage, and now he was participating in this competition.

Warmup was finally finished, and now the waltz was about to start. "That warmup was perfect, but let us listen to the waltz." The prince said. Eldolf had a feeling, he would be impressed again. "Hm? Father, you seem excited." "Ho, just wait for it, my boy. This performance will be good."

**ALB**

_"Ready Alb? I'm not going slow." "You think I was going to go slow?" _It was, as if they, joined together. "_Let's make this perfect." _

* * *

The waltz that they were performing is called the Sleeping Beauty Waltz. It was composed by, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The one that's been playing is the Rachmaninov's arrangement.


	4. A Poised Performance

Will be pretty busy, so sorry in advance.

* * *

**ALB**

The start of any musical piece, as well as, its conclusion should sound the best overall. The audience will best recall the start and the end. Also, since this was a competition, he had to follow the score as accurately as possible.

"_Not to dissuade our performance, but I don't think anybody knows what we're playing."_ Mel inquired.

Alb and Mel just finished the start, and now started to play the waltz itself. "_That's true... I guess that decreases the pressure." _Alb replied, albeit a bit doubtful. Although, Alb was dumbfounded by himself.

Alb, for some reason, knew this piece _perfectly._ But the thing was, he didn't even know the name of the waltz nor does he even know the composer. He just remembers how it sounds, and how to play it. But, there was no point in pondering, they were now starting the complex part of the waltz.

**ROYALS**

"Wow." The young count gasped. Eldolf was smiling, enthusiastically. Prince Dreambert was the first to speak, "His tempo is amazing, the balance is impeccable, he has a royals posture, and looks professional too. What is he playing, actually?"

Queen Melinda, replying "We have waltz's played almost all the time at our balls, from different composers to different ages. How have we not heard this before!?" She said this with amazement and annoyance. "I think we have a winner, he seems to know what he's doing." The young count said.

"Agreed." They all replied, confidently.

**ALB**

"_I think we may have won..." _Alb thought. The piece was near-perfection, the only mistakes made were really on Mel's part, but they were minor mistakes. They had finally reached the conclusion. "_You know, for a dimensional competition, this was easy... Don't ya think?"_ Mel thought. Alb certainly agreed, he didn't even know he could play the piano until he sat down. "_Well, we're almost done. Let's make this ending memorable." _Mel commented, with spunk. "_Yes, let's." _

**ROYALS**

"They reached the ending, such a shame, they sound amazing." Queen Melinda says, sadly. "We'll hear them again. They pretty much won." Eldolf says. And, they did finish. "You know, this seems like a pretty hard piece, and it doesn't even look like they had the music sheets with them." The young count said.

The Royals took note of that too. They finally finished, and stood up, bowing to the window. "Well, let's go meet our representative for this competition." Queen Melinda said, eagerly.

She didn't bother looking like a lady and speed-walked to the door. "Melinda, please th-" Eldolf tried to say before she ran off to Alb. The Royals quickly followed suit and saw Queen Melinda squishing the poor pianist with her... circles.

**ALB**

"Urm, uh, miss, no... your..?" Alb gasped, feeling like he was being crushed by an anvil. Who is she!

He looked at the guard, and he looked amused, unsure, and Alb swore he blushed. "Melinda! Please, you're smothering the poor boy!" A man called out, pleadingly. Mel was laughing uncontrollably, and he couldn't see anything but purple.

"_What is this anyway!" _Alb questioned before the object was pulled away from him. Mel, somewhat gaining her composure, said: _"It's her bo-" "I see that now!" _Alb mentally shouted, in humiliation. Alb was in shock and quickly snapped out of it, to see 4 individuals.

The girl, or women, who was smothering him was wearing purple and had a beautiful face, there was a flying pillow amalgamation, and 2 Darkners who were wearing very sophisticated clothing. One of the Darkners was Eldolf, and the other looked similar to Eldolf yet younger. "Your Highness, can you please not do that, like ever!" The pillow said. "But he's so cute and looks so innocent!" The human women said. "No! Not a reason, he probably already has a sweetheart." The younger Darkner said.

Alb, feeling awkward, looked over at the guard. The guard gave him a look, that practically screamed: "I pity, yet am so jealous, for you." "You! What's your name!" The queen asked, with authority yet still with kindness. Alb, for some reason, lost the ability to speak, so he ended up stuttering out his name, "A-a-alb, your Highness." _"Good work on being professional Alb, they probably feel awkward at this conversation." _Mel smugly replied. "_I hate you, Mel. If I get punished, it's your fault." _

**ROYALS**

"_By Grambi, WHY must the queen of the Tribe of Ancients be so embarrassing." _Prince Dreambert thought, putting his hand in front of his face. The pianist looked extremely tense and just looked. "So, Alb. Tell me." Queen Melinda, said with a mischevious glint.

Eldolf saw this and Prince Dreambert knew where this was going. "Please, your highne-" "Do you have a crush, a sweetheart?" She said, with the most playful tone possible. "Urm, no your Highness, I don't have a crush nor a sweetheart." The pianist, Alb said. Melinda looking surprised was about to say something else when the Count of the Tribe of Darkness stopped her.

"No, your Highness, do not say what you are going to say." Snapping his fingers, and silencing her. The queen pouted and went back. "So! You can play the piano too." Eldolf commented. Alb nodded, looking unsure about something. "Ah! Don't worry. You don't need to bow, at least to me anyway." Eldolf laughed, the young count giving an exasperated look.

"In any case, for the sake of formalities, let us introduce ourselves, I am Count Marcus Bluebell from the Tribe of Darkness, and this is my father, the former Count. Eldolf Bluebell." The pianist bowed and seemed to be looking down at the ground. "_Odd, these are the mannerisms one is supposed to present to a count from the Tribe of Darkness. How does he know this?" _Count Marcus thought. But, before he could ask, or even comment, the queen quickly jumped in.

"Well, dear. My name is Queen Melinda Puren. I am the ruler of the Tribe of Ancients." The pianist took note, and did a short curtsy, and looked at the queen straight in the eyes. "_My, somebody has done their research, on how to act around a royal from our tribe. But... He doesn't look like he's from here. Maybe, I should.." _

_"_I am Prince Dreambert. The ruler of Pi'illo Island." The pianist stood still, yet his head was down.

"So, we just are pleased to inform you that have won the spot of being the representative pianist of the dimensional tribes. " Count Marcus proclaimed. Queen Melinda giggled bubbly and quickly hugged him again. The royals sigh and went to save the poor pianist.

**ALB**

_"Well, they're an interesting bunch. Don't you think, Mel?"_ Alb thought. Mel just grunted affirmatively, but Alb swore he heard insecurity in that grunt. But, as much as he wanted to ask Mel, he couldn't. He was being smothered again and was currently struggling to breathe. "Your Highness, For Jaydes sake, let go of him!"


	5. The Couple & Performer

This is following up on "The love we all Feel." If you haven't read that, I suggest you do, because details from that story are going to be included in the coming chapters.

* * *

**Blumiere**

Blumiere is resting on a grand blue, bed. It's soft, pillowy covers encompassing his entire body. The sheets covering him, and the engravings of hearts making it look like a funeral scene.

He stirred: "_How odd. Where am I."_ He thought. Getting up, he realized that he was back to normal! His Darkner body, as blue as the ocean, looked more light, though. His eyes were light blue, too! Not his usual red eye. _"Where's my monocle?"_ He questioned.

Standing up, he realized Timpani was on a white bed next to him. There were engraving's on the bed, and it had a brown cover. "Timpani? _mi_ _amore_, wake up!" Blumiere called to Timpani. She started to wake up and rose up. "Blumiere, honey?" She said, drowsy. Blumiere chuckled and leaned in for a kiss. The sheets came off, and the door opened.

**Timpani**

We kissed, me and Blumiere. And, we both saw a human, dressed in purple and white. "_Those are the Tribe of Ancients and Darkness main colors!"_ She thought, in a panic. Blumiere took note, and quickly moved away and stared at the human. They were giving a look of surprise and were blushing furiously. "Um, um, uh, am I? No, I mean, uh, ugh, should I go?" He asked. It was a boy, young, and a hood covered his face.

"No. And, who are you?" Timpani asked. The boy looked so embarrassed, and said: "You do know you, um, don't have any garbs on." He asked, stuttering. Blumiere and I quickly looked down, realizing why there was tension, and we both blushed. "Never mind, please leave." "Ok."

**Alb**

"OK! I just need to go get a few things from the cottage, your royal highnesses." Alb said. "Alright, we will teleport you there. But first, here." Queen Melinda said, before snapping her fingers. Alb suddenly felt very light and found that he was wearing a purple clock that had a hood, and it had blue fabrics instilled in it. However, his suit was now changed into some sort of green-white collar, along with a white bowtie. He had black dress pant on and black dress shoes.

"Perfect, we can add the other effect fro the Pi'illo Kingdom, but here is what you would wear to the events hosted in the competition, or showcase." Count Marcus said. Alb found it very comfy, although a bit small, but he can manage. "Ok, head to my castle once you prepared." Count Marcus said, before teleporting everybody away. Queen Melinda looked like she was about to say something, but didn't get the chance too.

Alb closed his eyes and found himself back in the front of the cottage. Opening the door, he stepped in to get the picture and mirror. He moved the painting aside, opened the safe, and got the contents out. Although, Alb saw something odd next to the safe. It was a button, white.

_"Um, Alb. I really don't think you should-" _Mel tried saying before Alb pressed it. A door appeared, it was similar to that in the place where Alb woke up. "_Let's check."_ Alb eagerly said. Despite Mel's protests, Alb ventured forward. Opening the door, he saw two beds, and the couple that was in the picture in front of him, kissing... Naked.

**FAST FORWARD 20 SECONDS**

Mel was laughing and cooing at the same time. "_Aw, they look so cute together. I wonder why they kept it a secret?" _Mel said, giddily. Alb was starting to question if Mel was a friend or annoyance in his mind. Alb heard shuffling, and the sound of buttons clicking into their holes. They came out and were blushing ferociously. "Sorry about that, but who are you?" 'Queen Melinda' asked.

Alb just looked at the 'Queen', or was it the 'Queen.' Alb said to Mel: "_She looks young and looks just like the queen. Should I..."_

_ "No, I want to see how they respond to this situation. They seem nervous." _Mel said, somewhat sounding mischevious. Alb wasn't sure if that was a good idea, so he decided to address her by how he normally would. "Your Highness, it's me. Are you well" Alb asked. The women looked at him with confusion and suddenly looked afraid. She glanced at 'Count Marcus?" He looked young, too.

"Yes, we are fine, and-" The count was saying before Alb interrupted. "I apologize, can I ask something?"

The couple looked tense; the Count narrowing his eyes, asking, "What is it?"

"_Sheesh, rude much?" _Mel remarked. Alb asked, "Are you the couple in this photo?" Pulling out the photo, and showing it to the couple. The Count grabbed it and started whispering to the 'Queen'. Mel had a bad feeling, and Alb sensed it. "_What's wrong, Mel?" _Alb asked. Mel immediately shouted, _"Run!"_

**Blumiere**

_"That was peculiar, the human looks calm albeit a bit flushed, rather than scared," _Blumiere said. Timpani seemed to be thinking the same thing, too. Timpani glanced at me and gave him a sorry look. Blumiere looked back and started acting like his father. As far as he was concerned, they were in their home dimension, and the tribes were still enemies.

The human seemed surprised, and a bit scared. Blumiere almost got the human away, but the human asked: "Are you the couple in this photo?" While showing the picture him and Timpani took. Timpani paled, and Blumiere saw it. He took it from the human's hand and leaned near Timpani.

Timpani came closer, whispering "Sorry, I meant to take that, before... You know." "I know, and I'm not mad. But what are we going to do." Blumiere reassuringly said, in a whisper. Timpani replied with, after deliberation, "Tell him to stay here; I don't like the latter, but use force if needed." Blumiere nodded, he and Timpani normally came to the same conclusions but fights are more Blumiere's expertise.

Turning to look at the human, he prepared for the spell, and the human, for some odd reason, went wide-eyed and started running. "NO!" Timpani called out, but it was too late. Blumiere cast a spell out of panic, a binding spell that he used on Princess Peach when he kidnapped her.

It went straight at him and was entrapped in a box. "It's fine. He's not hurt." Blumiere had said. Timpani could only respond with, "I'm glad, but now what." The human was silent, in shock, but quickly snapped back and looked around the box.

**Timpani**

My memory is a haze, but I remember this place, this dimension; my home. The cottage where I took care of Blumiere when he was injured. This was also my sanctuary from being the princess of the Tribe of Ancients. "Did I do something wrong?" The human asked.

Blumiere saw this and wasn't exactly sure how to respond. "I'm sorry, but we can't tell you, nor can we let you out yet." He said. The human listening was floating too. "Can I please sit down then? Floating in this outfit isn't exactly comfortable." The human asked.

Blumiere and I were surprised by his calmness, and Blumiere looked at me for permission. "Yes, It's only fair," I said. Blumiere lifted his scepter, and the human landed on the floor. "Thank you, your highnesses. But, can I ask exactly why you're doing this?" He asked, looking at him.

Timpani finally had enough, and asked "Why do you keep on calling us, "Your Highness?" We are not royals." Timpani had some bad moments with her mom, so she didn't like remembering about her childhood. Blumiere looked at Timpani, with pity, and asked: "Are you well, dear?" Timpani flushed, "Yes, I am sorry. I should not have snapped like that." She said, apologizing to both males.

The human had a face of realization, "Ohhh. I see I am so sorry. You both look so familiar to the rulers from each tribe." Blumiere and Timpani both cringed, "Do we? Haha, how do you know about them anyway?" They both asked, in unison. The human smiled and said, "I met when I performed at the auditions for the Dimensional Piano Representative for the tribes, as well as, Pi'illo Kingdom. But, besides that? I think I should tell you that tensions between humans and Darkners are almost non-existent."

Blumiere looked at the human, with a look of denial and hope: "No, that can't be right. The tribes hate each other." The human simply shook his head, saying "It doesn't seem like that to me. I mean sure, there's gossip. But, nobody is xenophobic to each other." Both Blumiere and Timpani at him closely, he wasn't lying. "Does that mean-" Timpani began to say. "Judging from your reaction, I'd say it be best if you hide. I'm not sure what the reactions would be, because you look so similar to the rulers of each tribe." The human quickly said.

The couple sighed and sat down on the chairs in the cottage. "Can I please go. The Royals are actually waiting for me." The human asked, pleadingly. Blumiere and Timpani were both hesitant about letting him go, and said: "How will we know you won't say anything?"

"You have magic, I assume that little spell is a tracking spell too?"

Blumiere did a double-take: "How did-"

"Try being a bit more discreet when doing it, but other than that, I don't have any reason to tell. You seem like a happy couple, and I don't want to ruin that." The human said. Blumiere was about to refuse before she tugged on his cape. "I think we should. I have a feeling we trust him." She said. Blumiere nodded, trusting Timpani's gut feelings; They were always right.

Raising the scepter, the human was let free. "Thank you, and my name is Alb." He said, before quickly running off. "What an interesting encounter." Blumiere mused. "Yes, I agree," Timpani said. It was silent for a while, but then Timpani broke the silence. "What do we do now, honey. I don't think it's a good idea to trust our parents, still." She said. Blumiere nodded and thought about it when an idea popped to him.

"Let's turn ourselves into Pixls, that way we can travel around without being suspected of anything." Timpani was about to protest, but after thinking about it, she agreed. Blumiere lifted his scepter up high, and a white light shone in the cottage.

**ALB**

_" That was good improv. Are you telling?" _Mel said. Alb after thinking for a while, said _"No. I'm not. They really do seem afraid of me telling about them."_ Mel nodded and stayed silent. Quickly speedwalking over to the entrance to the castle, he reached the gate. Some Darkner guards saw him, and said "Are you the pianist? The Royals have been expecting you." Alb replied with "yes, I am. May I please go in." The guards nodded. Alb immediately speed-walked over to the throne room, not hearing what the guards had to say. "He's going to get lost, isn't he?" One guard said. The other guard nodded.

Alb had been walking when he realized he didn't know where to go, or at least he thought. He knew the castle, he couldn't remember how, he just did. Walking quickly to the throne room, he passed through guards and nobles to the throne room. Finding it, the guard looked at his stopwatch and was wide-eyed. "Huh, you were quick. I guess you got lucky." Alb hastily replied, "I guess I did." The guard opening the door while saying this.

Thanking them, he approached the center of the room. It was dark, and he had a very weird feeling that something was going to-

"Alb! You are finally here. What took so long." He heard Queen Melinda said, before instantly glomping him. Alb was expecting the question, and said: "It took a while to get here, and I forgot something, so I had to go back."

"And what is that you forgot?" Shoot, Alb wasn't expecting them to be inquisitive. "Uh, I'm not sure where they are, I just had the-"

"Sorry, sir. You went too fast." Two Pixls flew in, a shiny blue-white hat and a rainbow butterfly. Alb secretly knew who they were, and mentally thanked himself for not telling. "Who are they, Alb?" Count Marcus asked, appearing.

The hat cringed, and Alb quickly thought up of names that came up in his head, and said: "The butterfly is Tippi, and the hat is Blumy." The two royals looked surprised, and sad before gaining their composure.

_"Strange. What was that shift in the mood." _Mel thought. "_I'm not sure, but let's keep up this lie until they're ready to talk," _Alb remarked.


	6. Entrance and Regrets

Seeing how I have work to do this May, I gotta focus on my work, so I apologize in advance.

* * *

**Blumiere**

Years of pretending to speak in a story-teller way have given Blumiere a talent of masking his emotions. Right now, he was feeling fear and shock from seeing his dad being so close to a human, much less Timpani's mother!

Timpani, although her facial expressions were unrecognizable, saw her mom, and seemed tense. "You have Pixls? I never remember seeing them travel with you." Eldolf, his grandfather says. Eldolf was always a fan of human culture, and out of everybody, disliked humans the least. "Oh! I actually left them in this flower bed, near the river uphill from the village. You know, the one near the ruins?" 'Alb' lied.

"_He's a good actor, Dimentio would like him." _Blumiere thought before he thought about Nastasia, Mimi, O'Chunks. He wondered where they were, and was worried about them. Even with Merlon's help, they were never really safe in Flipside.

But, they left them at the castle, so hopefully, Mario will protect them. Although he was concerned about Dimentio and if he was still evil, but Blumiere had to protect Timpani right now, as well as, this human.

"So, what do they do?" A Pi'illo asked, possible the Prince of Pi'illo Kingdom. "Oh! Tippi is a tattler, and Blumy is well, uh, sorry. Blumy, what do you do again?" Alb asked, nervously.

"_Tell the truth, it's too risky to tell too many lies." _He heard Tippi say, in his mind. "Oh! I can cast Void spells." Blumy said, in truth. His father definitely grew interested, and Alb immediately tried to change the subject: "Urm, your Highnesses. What exactly am I doing in this competition?" Alb asked.

Count Marcus immediately lost interest in what he was about to say and answered Alb's question: "You are the Piano representative of both; The Tribe of Ancients and The Tribe of Darkness, as well as, Pi'illo's Kingdom Representative. What you will be doing, are challenges relating to the Piano, whether it be playing a composition or sight-reading."

Queen Melinda then added on, saying: "There are additional challenges, like quickly composing a melody, or arrangement, with a given set of instruments. These are optional, however." Alb nodded, in understanding. Blumiere remembered reading about this competition. It was akin to 1 big showcase. "The winner receives a wish of their choice, and the kingdom that they represent receive a big cash incentive. Of course, top 3 get the award, but prizes get smaller at each rank." Prince Dreambert finished off.

The human nodded and looked over at the Pixls, who looked at him with reassurance. "Of course, we are almost sure that you will reach top 100. The Waltz you played for us was perfect. Produce more performances like that, and you could possibly win." Count Marcus remarked.

Alb nodded. Blumy was confused, normally the two Tribes had their own individual representative, and the Pi'illo Kingdom does too. "Ok! But, now what do I do?" When is this competition?" Alb asked. Both Count Marcus and Queen Melinda smiled mischievously, with Eldolf and the Pi'illo sweat-dropping. "_I don't like that look, they are going to do something," _Blumy told Timpani, in her mind.

Timpani flapped her wings, _"Yes they are. May Grambi protect us."_

"Um, Your Highness? What is with that look?" Alb asked, nervously. They didn't say anything but came closer. Count Marcus cast a spell, which was a box around everybody, and Queen Melinda snapped her fingers turning it shiny. "I suggest you have this, just in case." The Pi'illo said, giving a plastic bag to the human.

Alb took it with silence, whilst the Pixls rested on his arms with silence. "Our destination: Dreamian Remembra Hotel." Count Marcus roared, raising his staff when it started spinning on its own.

A light flashed in the entire castle, as the group was teleported to the Hotel.

**Mario**

It has been 2 days since Blumiere and Timpani went missing, as well as, Mary and Count Bleck. After searching the entire castle, they head back to Flipside, to see Merlon. "Heroes! You have returned, were you successful?" Merlon said. When everybody entered in Merlon's small cottage, everybody could hear creaking. "Uh, should we um, you know, take this outside?" Nasirine said.

Everybody silently nodded and went out. Merlon freaked after seeing Dimentio, but quickly calmed down when he saw he meant no harm. "Alright, then. Now after seeing your huge group, what happened?" Merlon asked. Nobody really was sure on what to say, so Nastasia decided to answer. "Well, this is what happened-" Nastasia said, explaining to Merlon about what happened.

**About 10 minutes later**

"Well, this is quite the predicament," Merlon said, nervously. Everybody else just smiled nervously, and now everybody was thinking the same thing, "_Now what?"_

All of a sudden, the house began shaking, and everybody around them looked at the quaking house. "Eh? What's with the house, Merlon?" Luigi asked. Merlon ignored him and rushed in. Everybody glanced at each other and followed suit. Entering inside the blue house, the group found the Light Prognosticus shaking violently in Merlon's grasp. "The book shakes, like a violent toddler not getting his food," Dimentio says.

"You still have your similes, as usual, Dimentio," Mimi said, whilst rolling her eyes. Dimentio smirked, and was about to say something else, when Merlon let go of the book, and flew straight through the door and up the tower.

"The book wants to play tag, after it!" Rose said, running in heels so high that, even Princess Peach went wide-eyed. "She's like Mimi, so don't be surprised," Dimentio said, before quickly teleporting to the tower.

Mimi just stood there, before she finally realized what he said. "Dimmy! YOU ARE DEAD!" Mimi shrieked, running up the tower. Everybody else looking at Nastasia, who just nervously chuckled said: "They've always been like that, m'kay." Nobody questioned it and ran to the elevator, which was a bad idea since everybody was huddled close in the small pocket of machinery.

**Alb**

I wasn't sure why I needed a plastic bag, but now I see why. Or at least, why Prince Dreambert needs it, he looks so sick, as we land on the soft, mellow grass. "Man up, Prince Dreambert! You have to go through this again, after all." Count Marcus said. Alb swore his Pi'illo head was green, but he looked away.

"My insides feel like they have jagged ends," Tippi said. Alb stood up and shook his head. Blumy looked silent, Tippi taking note. She giggled, "Aw, can't handle dimensional travel, that well?" Tippi teased. Blumy whispered, "I can, but that was further than normal dimensional travel. We went a vast distance." He replied. Tippi froze and looked around. "You're right, which dimension is this?" Tippi inquired.

Queen Melinda rose her eyebrows, "You have smart Pixls, tell me, where did you get them?" She asked. Alb was struggling to come up with a good lie, and Tippi quickly chimed in, "Oh, our master found us injured near the river. He nursed up back to health, and now we are his helpers when need be." Queen Melinda nodded sadly, whispering "That reminds me of her."

Alb could sense the coming questions and immediately changed the subject, "So, this is the Dremian Remembra Hot-" Alb was saying when he felt his jaw drop.

The whole area was... Beautiful. Flowers; Red, green, indigo, colors so wide that it felt like the ground was a rainbow. The rivers that flew by around a circular platform nearby, with two quaint little bridges. Golden Lights shine, butterflies fly amok, and a white and black gate, as pristine as a newly built house.

Queen Melinda's mood quickly turned to excitement, as she grabbed both Alb's and Count Marcus's hand, "Let us look around!" She said, running. Alb smiled although almost tripping, and Count Marcus ran with one hand on his hat.

Tippi and Blumy quickly flew off, before Alb swore he saw a curious glint in Eldolf's eyes. "_I think he knows something is up, you need to come up with a really good lie if he asks," _Mel said. Alb could only smile, as he hoped that things would turn out ok for the 2 Pixls.

**Blumiere**

Blumiere really was surprised, by the complete change in his father's stance at humans. He was going to approach Tippi before Eldolf coughed. Blumy froze, and turn to look at Eldolf, who looking at his closely. "You know, you act a lot like my grandson, he turns around exactly like that, and even the way you speak. You sound familiar, too." Eldolf said. Blumiere chuckled nervously; Out of everybody in the family, he was closest to Eldolf.

Blumiere knew he couldn't lie to Eldolf, he could always tell. Timpani, being the better conflict-avoider, said: "It seems we have been caught." Tippi said. Eldolf smiled goofily, "You two are so alike, I am so happy to finally meet the elusive Lady Timpani." He said, bowing to the butterfly. It looked weird, but Eldolf wasn't much for looking prim and proper. "You aren't... Mad?" Blumiere said.

"Of course not, we don't hate humans anymore, after all. I have no reason to go against your union." Eldolf said. Timpani and Blumiere sighed, in relief. "Thank Grambi and Jaydes," Timpani muttered.

"But, why? What happened when we were away?" Blumiere had asked. His father had loathed humans, so why the complete shift in mood. "He changed this way, right after our world was restored. Perhaps, he felt guilty for what he did to your wife." Eldolf said.

Timpani cringed, memories of what his father had done were not pleasant for her to remember. Blumiere remembered the despair he felt when he learned what had happened, his decreasing hope as he searched every dimension, and finally, the anger when he destroyed his home dimension. He regrets everything he had ever done and was able to compensate by offering his life to save all dimensions.

Of course, his life was never taken nor was Timpani's, but that was a question he pondered on, whenever he thought of it. _"Why wasn't I and Timpani sent away, when we destroyed the Chaos Heart?" _Blumiere questioned. He should be happy, but he felt uneasy when they were never sent away. The Chaos Heart just sent a pulse that knocked the couple out of the podium, and the Pure Hearts did the rest from there.

"Hm? Count Eldolf, are you coming?" Prince Dreambert had asked when he finally felt well enough to stand up. His Pi'illo head now the usual red-orange that it is."Yes, I am. Please wait for a moment."

Count Eldolf, said. Prince Dreambert nodded, walking towards the gate. "So, when are you telling them?" Count Eldolf asked. Both Blumy and Tippi cringed, Timpani responding with a meek "I don't know."

**Timpani**

Timpani felt like two sides were arguing in her head; "But, they don't hate humans anymore. Mom looks like she misses me, too!" Tippi #1 said.

"They still opposed our marriage, they still might. Let's not forget what Count Marcus did, too." Tippi #2 argued back.

"But, they have changed!" "They changed their opinions on each other, they still might oppose the marriage."

Timpani didn't know which one to listen too and kept on rationalizing the situation. "Honey, it's alright. He won't hurt you. I will protect you if he even lays a finger on you." Blumiere said. Tippi brightened lightly as if to acknowledge gratitude.

"I won't say anything, but you'll have to reveal yourself soon. You're putting Alb in the middle of this drama, and he going to experience the full force of both sides." Eldolf reminded them. Tippi and Blumy both spun in a circle. It was true, Alb didn't know anything, and it's better to keep it that way.

"Let's go in, they might suspect something," Tippi said. Blumy and Eldolf both nodded, and went inside the grand hotel.

Which looked amazing. 5 castles, each with their own unique design all in view with a beautiful plaza. "By the stars, how breath-taking," Eldolf said. Tippi and Blumy said the castles were huge, possibly able to fit 10 cities, in its eloquent rooms.

"What is this competition?" Tippi asked Blumy. Blumy responded: "A dimension-wide showcase, that every royal or godly body can participate in. It's, like a major-scale talent show." Tippi, wasn't expecting that: "So, it's just for entertainment?" She said.

Blumy, responded, although a bit confused said: "The true purpose was lost, over time. So, I assume that it's just for entertainment." Timpani disagreed, it was so much more than that, wasn't it?

It always is.


	7. Prelims and A Whole New Entrance

Going to experiment with first POV only, so like it will still switch every now and then. But, only from the characters POV.

* * *

**?**

"_I have the heart, and I have the bo-" _A dark clocked individual was thinking before the dark book started shaking in his hand. "What the-" He said, trying to tighten his grip when the book floated out of his grasp. It started speeding towards somewhere, he wasn't sure where, but he had a feeling that something big was going to happen. _"Let's see where this is heading."_ He muttered

**Mario**

"Why did we all enter together?" Princess Peach asked, annoyed, "I don't know, but now I'm concerned about what's going on up-" Luigi was saying, when the door opened, and a Dimentio's purple-yellow beam collided into his face. "Ow!" Luigi cried out. "You ok, bro?" Mario said, before seeing Nastasia's annoyed face.

He looked her way and saw Mimi in her spider form, and Dimentio casting spells left and right. "Mimimimimimi," Mimi said while crawling all over the tower. The Light Prognosticus was on top of the tower, just watching the scene unfold beneath it. Rose was next to it, just looking at the scene wide-eyed. "Mimi, Dimentio. Stop it, m'kay!" Nastasia shouted.

Her voice drowned out, in the ensuing brawl. Nasirine tapped Nastasia's shoulder and smiled. They both were side-by-side, and help their glasses. "Cover your eyes," Luigi said; Everybody covering their eyes. There was a glimpse of red, and the noises stopped. Mario, opening his eyes, saw Mimi and Dimentio stop, "Aw, no fair Nassy!" Mimi whined.

Nastasia scolding Mimi all over again, with Nasirine giving Dimentio a glare that seemed to cause him to stop talking. "Hey, guys! Check this out!" Rose called out, with the book. The book was shining, and Rose was pointing at something. The rainbow door was now changing color to a dull gray. "Is that?" Princess Peach asked. "Yes, I think it is," Nastasia added on. "The door changes, like a mistake annulled," Dimentio said. The door that once led the way to the Pure Hearts, now led a path to the Chaos Heart.

**Alb**

Something is going to happen; Alb didn't like it, but he had a feeling that something was going to happen. But, he saw both young Royals smiling with hope, and he couldn't bear to take that away. Ignoring his bad feeling, he failed to notice a cloaked figure looking at him, with a book right next to him.

**Mario**

"Well, let's go in," Mimi said before Rose pulled her back. "Hun? Wait. We don't even know where this door will take us." Rose said. Mimi pouted, and Nasirine came to calm her down. "Still, it can't be worse than going to Castle Bleck. I mean. could it?" Peach said. It's a door that can take us to the Chaos Heart, but it isn't Castle Bleck, so what location is the door. "Only one way to find out," Mario said. Mario, as confident as usual, went to open the door. Luigi hastily followed him, Peach following suit. The rest of the group hesitantly followed and went in the gray door.

**Alb**

Alb was to perform to see if he was best suited for this competition. He saw other competitors, some were tense, others clearly made no effort to hide their disappointment. "Representative from Tribes of Darkness and Ancients, Pi'ilo Kingdom. Please come, and perform." Queen Melinda smiled encouragingly, though she looked doubtful. The Pixls were sitting there awkwardly, Prince Dreambert came up to him to tell what to expect.

"We mean no pressure, but this is to check if you perform in a global setting. Try to avoid any sort of mistake." He said.

Alb smiled and went to the performance area. "Good luck, and enjoy." The guard said, before shutting the door on him. Alb saw a piano, a grand piano more specifically. With ivory keys, and a never-ending sight of black. Alb, also, saw a paper where the sheet-music is usually kept. Walking up towards the piano, a blue sign popped up in front of him.

"Do you consent to perform in this competition, if invited." It said. Alb signed his name on the line, using his finger and went to the piano. Sitting in the seat, he read the sheet music. "Love's Sorrow." "_I can do this." _Alb thought, Mel, being quiet so he can think. _"Good luck," _she said meekly. (Link is in the bottom, in case you want to hear it.)

**After Performance**

Alb finished, breathing in and out. _"Did I do it?" _He asked Mel. Mel responded with, _"I don't k-" _Mel was saying before they heard ***CLICK***. Standing up, he saw a big door that was open. Alb walked forward and opened it. Inside the room, was this sort of stimulation room. It was white, and there was a white table in the middle. Slowly walking towards the middle, a screen popped up showing Alb's face. Next to it was a score and a ranking.

**ALB (R.O: Tribe of Ancient, Tribe of Darkness, and the Pi'illo Kingdom)**

**Performance: 100**

**Rank #1**

**Invited to Celestial Dimension Conference**

What. Alb read the score 3 times, Mel screamed in joy. _"OMG, You did it! Ahhhh, you are going to pounce these juniors!" _Mel rambled on. Alb smiled and saw a paper coming out at the bottom. The door opened in front of him, but another blue sign appeared in front of him. "Do you wish for your audition to be viewed?" It said. Alb looked at, and said, _"Should I?"_

Mel replied back with, "_You would be sending an imposing message, and people might try to copy your techniques. But, you might dissuade people from participating." _Alb decided to not let it be viewed and clicked on the "No" option.

Opening the door, he stepped in to see a guard waiting for him. "Great job! Allow us to accompany you while you share the news." He said. His red tunic and black pants make him look like a dragon. He had a guards hat on, as metal as eyes can see. He was wearing black boots and had a sword and gun on his waist. "Yes, thank you," Alb said, before asking questions about the Royals.

**Blumiere**

How nervewracking. Resting on a chair, he floated up after seeing Alb talking happily with a guard. Queen Melinda instantly stood up and rushed over to Alb. "So? How was it? Did you get invited? Were you denied? Were you-" She asked, question after question. But, seems like father still uses the silencing spell as he snapped his fingers and the Queen of the Tribe of Ancients was silenced. She pouted, and I looked over at Timpani, who looked like a red rainbow.

_"Why is my mother so embarrassing?" _Timpani thought. Blumiere could relate, kinda, but besides that, Count Marcus asked the questions. "How was it?" He asked. Alb smiled, and said, "I got in." Holding a letter when saying this. Count Marcus gasped, Queen Melinda was so excited that it broke the silencing spell, and she tackled Alb, who looked like he was suffocating. Prince Dreambert was ecstatic, although he did rush to pry Melinda off Alb.

Blumy was happy for the human, and Tippi turned into an even sharper red. "Your Highness, can we please do this somewhere else, in a more private area!?" Prince Dreambert said, in a panic. Blumiere was about to fly to the human when he saw a cloaked figure looking at them. _"Wait, Tippi. Isn't that?"_ Blumiere said to Tippi. Tippi was confused and looked at Blumieer's direction. She froze, _"It is."_ All they could think about was, what happened before they were teleported to the cottage.


	8. Light and Dark conjoined

**Mario**

Exiting the dimensional door, Mario and the gang, found themselves in this beautiful dimension. It was better than even the Overthere, which didn't look great, but still beautiful. "What an amazing dimension, how could something as evil as the Chaos Heart be here?" Princess Peach said. Her bright sky-blue eyes filled with wonder, as she looked at the brilliant land around her.

"I don't know, but look at the Light Prognosticus," Nastasia said. Mario looked at the Light Prognosticus and noticed it shaking, as well as, glowing with a bright white light inside the pages. It started to react violently and suddenly flew right out of Luigi's hands. "Hey, stop it!" Luigi called out, giving chase. The group started to run to catch up with the run-away book until they reached the gate. The 2 guards saw the book and tried to stop it. "Hey!" One guard said while grabbing the book.

Needless to say, he was flung into a wall, and the other guard was in shock. "Are you ok!" Princess Peach asked in concern. The guard grunted, and the other saw the book rushing into the entrance.

"All units. We have a dangerous book that breached the hotel. If seen, cast any paralysis spell that you can." The other guard said, into the radio. "Please help us out here, here's a guest pass in return. Ironically enough, we were instructed to hand you all entrance to the conference." The guard said.

Everybody looked at each other with a look of confusion, but everybody rushed into the hotel.

**Alb**

Alb was happy and scared, he was overjoyed to be accepted into the conference, but Queen Melinda kept on smothering him. "I am very sorry, but I can't help it. I got excited!" She said. Everybody was looking at them with either admiration or envy. But, before anybody else could comment.

***BAM*** Went a wall.

Everybody turned around to see a gray-white book with a star in the middle. Surrounding it was 2 circles, 1 small; The latter bigger. "The Light Prognosticus?" Tippi had said. But before anybody could comment on that.

***BAM*** Went the other wall behind them.

There was another book, only this black with variations of purple and red. In the middle, a blue gem. "The Dark Prognosticus?" Blumy said. Everybody was in shock when a bunch of guards came in with wands. Everybody was still, not sure about what to do, or if they should even speak.

"Why are the books of old here?" Count Marcus said, with shock and sadness. Alb wanted to say something to comfort him, but when he was about to speak, the books suddenly charged straight at him! "Look out!" Blumy & Tippi called out, blocking it from both sides.

It collided into each of the Pixls, their weak frail body's unable to counter the century-age magic. Because of this, and the fact that they have both been hit by magic, the Pixl spell was countered and their true forms revealed. Another group rushed in, "There!" A green-overalled plumber called out.

"Blumy, Tippi! Are you well?" Alb was going to say before the books went directly at him, their contents spilling right out in front of his eyes. This yellow and purple tornado circled around him and kept on closing in.

"_Alb! You ok?" _Mel cried out. Alb heard shouting, but nothing else. He felt like the torrent of light and dark was coming in closer and closer.

_"This isn't going to end well."_

**Blumiere**

What is going on!? Why are the books acting like this, they've acted on their own will. "Blumiere?" He heard his father whispered. The former dark count now realizing his true form was breached, and immediately got up to look at his father straight his eyes.

He expected hatred, or anger, or any negative emotion. But, all he saw was pure joy and sorrow. "Dad?" Blumiere whispered. The man who took his true love away from him, who has caused so much hurt in his life, now crumples to the floor with his head bowed in shame.

However, as much as Blumiere wanted to talk to his dad, Alb was trapped inside.

**Timpani**

"Timpani?" She heard mom say. Timpani got up and backed away ever so slightly. She expected to see coldness or no emotion, but all she was sadness and her mom crying. "Hi?" She said awkwardly, before being tackled by her mom.

Timpani burst into tears too and hugged her back tightly.

"I really wish not to interrupt this moment, but the human is trapped inside!" The head guard, barking at the other guards to cast counterspells or anything to repel the power of the 2 ancient books.

"We may rejoice later, but we must attack this tornado." Mother said. She really has changed, thank Grambi.

**Mario**

I wanted to smile, and watch their reunion. But, I couldn't, because I and everybody else was casting anything at the spell. Fireballs, rubies, voids, turnips, Anything! Some of the spectators or other competitors tried to help too, some Royals lifting their staff and directing it at the tornado. Nothing!

"What type of magic is this!?" Blumiere shouted, casting spell after spell. His father, who was deep in thought, kept on looking over the tornado. "Father! What are you doing!?" Blumiere shouted. "I am trying to find a weak spot! There's isn't any!?" He shouted back.

Queen Melinda and Timpani widened their eyes and looked over at Peach, who caught their glance. She saw the prayer pose for the stars, and Peach nodded rushing over to help them. "Princess! What are you planning!?" Luigi called over, throwing blue electricity at the tornado. "We are going to pray to the stars, their powers will help us!" Princess Peach called back.

They all gathered in a circle, holding each other's hand and lifted them high, wishing for assistance. As if by calling, yellow light shone and was directed into the tornado. "Peach Beam! On my count." Princess Peach called out. Mimi shouted, "What the rubies are a Peach Beam!?" Mimi said.

"No time to explain!" Mario shouted. Princess Peach began to chant something indescribable, "Ready!"

She said Both Timpani and Queen Melinda nodded: "3."

Hand raised high. "2."

Fingers pointed right at the amalgamation of light and dark.

"1." Ready to release. "NOW!" She called out, hands pointed right at the tornado.

The yellow beam had rainbow stars around it and hit the tornado. Mario could swear the Star Spirits were there, around the yellow beam.

**Alb**

_"Alb, do something!"_ Mel cried out. Alb looked around the ever-declining space he had and could find anywhere to go. The yellow-purple swirling mess came closer and closer.

Alb was smart enough not to hope for things, but to just do them himself; But, in this case, he could do nothing but hope.

He heard music, as he was... What? Music? From where? Did Alb see the books at the bottom playing some sort of melody? Was this a trick on his mind? It sounded vengeful, full of indescribable hate, and sorrow. It captivated you to open the book and come closer, and closer, closer, closer, till you can touch the book, and open i-

_"ALB!?" _Mel shouted. Alb snapped out of it and pushed his hand back from the books. "What happened!?" He shouted.

He could feel Mel just gripping his brain, and squeezing it._ "Don't touch the books individually. Do it both at once!"_ She shouted.

Alb wanted to question her logic, but the light was so close now, that he had only had limited space to move around. Following Mel's instruction, he grabbed both books at the same time.

_"Do you want a glimpse at your future?" _He heard a sinister voice whisper.

_"Do you want to preserve life!?"_ A pure-hearted voice called out.

"Do you want to see-" They said in unison.

"The horrors of life?" It said.

"The good in life?" It said.

_"Alb?" _Mel tried calling out, but her voice drowned out by both voices. Alb feeling the light and dark right behind him opened both books at once and looked.


	9. I am not insane!

Sorry about the lack of new chapters, but seeing how we are getting closer to summer, this means more work to do. Thanks for waiting, and please enjoy

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**Mario**

All was still, as the group watched the Royal ladies perform their star magic. The beam went straight at the tornado, and the tornado stopped. It was still there, but it was like they were looking at a frozen glacier of ice, only it wasn't transparent. Princess Peach collapsed, Timpani and Queen Melinda both held themselves for support, before Blumiere and Count Marcus went to support them.

"Did it stop?" Mimi asked. Nasirine stepping forward, despite protests. "I think it's safe to tou-" Nasirine was saying before the tornado flung her back.

"NO!" An old Darkner, possible Blumiere's grandfather, called out. He had just arrived with more support, and the guards had tools that Mario never saw before. As if by Eldolf's denial, the "tornado" cracked. It's yellow-purple hue growing even brighter.

Dimentio looked confused, then nervous, then scared... "Everybody, BACK AWAY!" He shouted.

Everybody immediately doing what he said when suddenly, the whole structure fell. Mario quickly rushed in, to look for the human. _"Please be alive, please be alive, Please, oh Princess Rosalina."_ Mario mentally prayed, inside his heart.

**Alb**

"Hey, ######, what're you doing?" A Darkner called. He had a cape on, though it had fur on it. His face was almost child-like, round cheeks, small lips, and messy blue hair. He had gloves on, but they looked inexpensive, and his suit messy and untidy. He had yellow eyes, and his ears were pointed like a fox. He was running to me?

Alb blinked and the Darkner went past him. Alb gasped and looked at himself. His body looked... Weird. He couldn't see himself, so he didn't know what the problem was, but it made Alb nervous. "######?" The Darkner asked. Who is he talking too?

Alb turned around to see the Darkner on this green hill, with a tree in the horizon. The location would be perfect for star-gazing. Alb heard a scream at the top of the hill and rushed over to the top. Once he made it, he saw something that frightened him.

Blood, blue blood. "Oh, my ####." He whispered, covering his mouth in shock. What did he just say?

Turning to look at the source, he saw... He saw... Nothing.

Alb was going to walk forward when he felt a blinding pain that caused to fall down in agony. "Wha- OW!" He cried out. Thrashing on the floor, he clutched his body. It felt like his organs were being dissected, and cut up. _"Wake up." _A voice called out. Alb didn't know what the voice was saying, but the world suddenly blurred out. "It's a dream? Wake up?" Alb thought to himself before he ended up collapsing.

His ragged breath slowly becoming slower. Alb felt like two halves of his body were fighting each other. Alb could hear voices, muffled, indecipherable. But, he noticed a shark glint of metal at the side, it was a dagger. It had a purple handle and seemed to be imbued with black designs. There was even a gemstone, though it looked different. It was a light gray, but the blade itself looked colorful. "Pick up the dagger." The voice instructed.

Alb, still feeling pain, crawled over to the dagger. He winced, reaching his hand out to the mesmerizing blade. He grabbed it, still feeling pain. "Now. Remember." _"What? How!"_ He thought. How does a simple blade, although beautifully crafted, bring back memories?

Alb's head started hurting and heard a voice, a scream. He couldn't identify it, but, the second he heard the scream, he felt odd. It was like something was obscuring his memories. _"Is this magic?"_ He thought.

Alb was going to ask another question, but he never got the chance as he felt himself waking up. _"Good enough. At least, you'll know why you can't remember."_ The voice said.

**Mario**

"I FOUND HIM!" Dimentio called out. His black hand up in the air, as the group and guards rushed down to help out. "He's, ugh, stuck, like a child, underneath, a bed," Dimentio said, panting as he tried grabbing his free hand.

The guards seeing this instantly lifted the wands and chanted something. "What's going on?" Timpani's mother had asked. Her beautiful face, now stricken with concern. The ice disappeared, and the human collapsed. He was... Fine? Mario stepped back in shock. "H-How, he clearly had heavy ice on him. His bones should be broken!" Nasirine said, in shock.

Mario was about to pick him up when the human stood up on his own and squeezed his head._ "Something was odd."_ Mario thought. Nobody can just withstand the 2 books like that, and not receive an injury. "Alb, are you well?!" A familiar voice called out.

I and Luigi both turned around. "Prince Dreambert?" Luigi gasped. There were medic guards behind the Pi'illo prince, and he looked surprised to see us. "Ah, old friends, it's so good to see you again." He said, extending his hand for a handshake. Mario was going to return the handshake when the guards began to check the human. He was protesting and seemed distressed for some reason.

**Timpani**

"Alb?" Mother said. She was approaching him slowly as if she suspects something. Alb looked over, and mother gulped in shock. He was different. His normal brown eyes were 2 colors.

The right was purple-black, just like the void, but the other was green, like an emerald. His hair was gray-black, like the Chaos Heart, but his skin was porcelain white. He looked like a ghost. Timpani wasn't sure if he was affected by the books, or if this was his true form.

"Alb. Wha- what happened?!" She said, in a panic. The guards were trying to check what the problem was, but he clearly didn't want to be touched. _"Why?"_ She thought.

**Alb**

_"I can't think." _Alb kept on saying, to his head. His mind was broken, he couldn't feel, think, or see straight. There were touches, maybe trying to help, or trying to pick him up, but Alb didn't know what to think. He could hear Mel's voice, but it was unclear. _"No, no, no, no!"_ She kept on saying, in denial.

All of a sudden, Mel screamed at him. Alb thoughts came back, as he stopped moving. "_Are you ok?" _Mel said, nervously. Alb was dazed and came back to his senses. Now seeing clearly, he saw guardsmen holding medical supplies looking concentrated at work.

He could see everybody else, but something was odd about them. They looked blurred, Blumiere especially.

His blue eyes were blurred out leaving a foggy lunar blue, and his mouth looked almost non-existent. He looked faceless, and that gave way for many ideas for new... What? What is he thinking about?

Alb collapsed, at exhaustion and slipped into the addicting sensation of sleep.

Sleep is addicting after all. Making somebody shut their eyes forever, is a good deed right?


End file.
